Protective Ventilator Co., 110-114 W. 32nd St. between 6th and 7th Aves. (2008)

Established 1869
Protective Ventilator Co
Ventilation for Every Purpose

These signs came to light in March 2008 when demolition started on the building to the immediate east, 106-108 W. 32nd St. New York City Dept. of Buildings records indicate that plans were filed for a new building at 106-108 W. 32nd St. in 1910. Protective Ventilator moved from 129 Fulton St. to 110 W. 32nd St. in 1910. This sign, then, dates from 1910. The older sign, above, probably reads Alliance Press. If so, it dates from 1907, when Alliance Press moved to this address.

The Protective Ventilator sign bears the signature H. H. Upham & Co. They were sign painters in business from as early as 1858. For more than 60 years (from 1891 until the 1950s) Upham were located at 508 West Broadway. At the top of 508 West Broadway, as of July 2008, one could still make out the letters "H UPHAM &" (click for image). An ad for Upham appeared in Science magazine15 April 1892. The address at the time was 54 South 5th Ave., which is the same building as 508 West Broadway (South 5th Ave. was re-named West Broadway around 1895, and the buildings were re-numbered at that time). Two brass plaques on the front of the building give the date Upham was founded and the date 508 West Broadway was erected.

For many years 110-114 W. 32nd St. was the headquarters of Willoughby Camera Stores, Inc., a retail and wholesale camera business. In 1986 there was a sign on the west wall for Willoughby's (see the next image).

< previous || next  >      index      map      signs by date      signs by name      see what's new